THE IMPORTANCE OF PRENATAL IN THE PREVENTION OF THE OCCURRENCE OF GESTATIONAL IRON DEPRIVE ANEMIA

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia is known as one of the major nutritional deficiencies worldwide and its occurrence can be observed in several populations. In the particular case of pregnancy, in addition to the expansion of blood volume, there is also an increase in demand for the needs of the fetus. In addition, few women begin pregnancy with adequate iron stores. Lack of iron in the body increases infant and maternal mortality and impairs productivity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the importance of prenatal care in preventing the occurrence of gestational anemia. This was an integrative literature review developed from the collection of studies in scientific databases. For the survey we searched the databases: Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS) and Scientific Electronic Library (SCIELO), where we also used filters such as search period, language of publication and full text publications. We used the time frame of articles published from the year 2011. A total of 12 articles were selected, observing the methodological aspects and the similarity between the results found. O estudo evidenciou que poucas mães têm conhecimento quanto a importância da suplementação do ferro, o que nos provora que os profissionais de saúde precisam ser mais eficazes no ato de orientar essas gestantes. Thus, it is possible to admit that food fortification and combined iron supplementation may have a crucial role in anemia control, especially when mothers have knowledge in the great help in fetal development.